What Really Matters? A Deep Dive into Our (Questionable) Priorities
Here’s a fun thought experiment: Imagine an alien lands on Earth and tries to figure out what humans value most—just by observing how we spend our time, money, and energy.
Would they think we care most about family and friendships? About creativity and meaning? About making the world a better place?
Or would they assume our highest priorities are… checking emails, doomscrolling, buying things we don’t need, and debating whether pineapple belongs on pizza?
If we’re honest, what we say we value and what we actually prioritise don’t always align. And maybe it’s time we talk about that.
What We Claim to Value vs. What We Actually Do
• We say we value our health. But we push off doctor’s appointments, eat lunch in front of our laptops, and sit in unnatural positions for eight hours a day like some kind of human pretzel.
• We say we value deep, meaningful relationships. But we cancel plans, forget to text back for days, and let friendships fade because “life got busy.”
• We say we value our time. But we spend hours watching reality TV, scrolling TikTok, and googling “how tall is [random celebrity]?” instead of doing literally anything productive.
• We say we want to be happy. But we fill our days with stress, comparison, and tasks that make us miserable.
The thing is, when life shakes us—when something big happens, when we lose someone, when we suddenly have a moment of clarity—we know what actually matters. But once the urgency fades, we go back to default mode, prioritising things that don’t really fulfil us.
Why? Because it’s easier. Because we’re conditioned to. Because everyone else is doing it.
Why Do We Keep Misplacing Our Priorities?
1. We assume we have unlimited time.
We act like there will always be a “later.” Later to fix that relationship. Later to pursue that dream. Later to slow down. But life isn’t a never-ending free trial. The subscription will run out.
2. We let external forces decide for us.
The world constantly tells us what should matter—hustle, productivity, wealth, prestige. And we follow along, even if deep down, we don’t care about those things.
3. We get stuck in the day-to-day.
We think about priorities in a big-picture way, but we live in the micro. We don’t consciously choose to spend 3 hours scrolling Instagram instead of calling our parents—it just happens.
So, How Do We Get It Right?
Rearranging our priorities isn’t about making drastic changes overnight. It’s about small shifts that align our daily lives with what actually matters to us.
• Audit your time. Look at how you actually spend your days. Does it match what you say is important? If not, adjust accordingly.
• Be intentional. Start your week by choosing 1-2 things that actually matter and making space for them.
• Question your defaults. Before automatically saying yes to something, ask: “Do I actually want this?” and “Does this align with what I value?”
• Accept that you can’t do everything. Some things won’t make the cut. That’s okay. Just make sure you’re sacrificing the right things.
Final Thought: The Clock is Ticking
At the end of the day, our priorities shape our lives. What we give time, energy, and attention to becomes our reality.
So if we don’t want to wake up one day wondering where our time went, maybe we should start placing value on the things that truly make life worth living—before it’s too late.
